1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to whitlockite and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, calcium phosphate based compounds are being widely utilized as biocompatible inorganic materials. The calcium phosphate based compounds have been applied in a variety of fields, including dispersants, stabilizers and so on for producing artificial bones, dental restorative materials, bone cement, oral compositions, drugs, tablets, cosmetics, food and resins.
Typical examples of calcium phosphate based compounds include hydroxyapatite (HAP: Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) and β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP: Ca3(PO4)2). HAP which is artificially synthesized has superior biocompatibility as well as chemical properties which are almost the same as those of bone, but has very large crystallinity and thus does not decompose in vivo, undesirably making it impossible to be used as a substitute for natural bone. On the other hand, β-TCP decomposes in vivo and induces the growth of natural bone, and thus thorough research into monophasic β-TCP or BCP (biphasic calcium phosphate) which is a mixture of β-TCP and HAP is ongoing. However, it is difficult to synthesize nano-sized β-TCP in a large amount using conventional techniques, and thereby limitations are imposed on applying β-TCP in a variety of fields.
With the goal of solving the problems, whitlockite obtained by substituting a portion of a calcium ion of β-TCP with a different cation is under study in recent years. However, conventional methods for manufacturing whitlockite are problematic because of the complicated manufacturing processes, high manufacturing costs, and the generation of byproducts such as HAP and the like, making it difficult to form highly pure whitlockite.